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Florence council defers downtown design vote after packed public hearing for Jazz on Dargan
Summary
Council members agreed to delay a vote on updated downtown design standards after business owner Tommy Mitchell and dozens of supporters urged the city to help keep Jazz on Dargan in downtown. City staff will work with the owner on possible sound mitigation and policy options.
Tommy Mitchell, owner of Jazz on Dargan, told the Florence City Council that his downtown music venue faces eviction by a new building owner and asked the city for help to remain in the downtown core.
Mitchell said the club has been downtown for about seven years and that it played a role in the area’s revival, drawing large crowds and local entertainers. “We want to stay downtown,” he told the council during the public-comment period.
The request triggered an extended council discussion about a growing tension between new downtown residential development and long‑established entertainment venues. City Manager Scotty asked that council defer a planned vote on downtown design standards so staff can work with Mitchell and others on possible mitigations. Council agreed to defer the downtown design item on the agenda.
Council members and staff outlined two strands of follow-up: (1) look at policy changes for future residential conversions and design-review standards, and (2) evaluate specific measures to reduce complaints now, including sound‑proofing requirements for new residential construction adjacent to entertainment venues.
City staff pointed to the city’s existing noise ordinance as part of the discussion, saying downtown quiet hours are enforced beginning at 10:00 p.m. and that the local decibel standard for enforcement is about 70 dB (with normal conversation around 55 dB offered as a point of reference). Planning staff also described downtown as a Central Business District overlay with design standards that the council can modify going forward.
Supporters packed the council chamber and several council members explicitly urged staff to meet with Mitchell and explore options. Councilman Tom McCall and Councilman George Traven both praised Jazz on Dargan’s contribution to downtown vitality and urged a cooperative approach to keep the venue operating while balancing residents’ expectations.
The council asked staff to return with recommended revisions to the draft downtown design standards and with technical options — such as noise‑mitigation materials and clearer disclosure about entertainment districts when new residential units are marketed — before the council votes on the ordinance.
Mitchell said he had spoken with the mayor and some council members and that the city had previously offered possible relocation sites, but nothing concrete had materialized. City staff noted that some downtown support programs — including façade grants, sign grants and other incentives — are available to businesses if they relocate within the downtown district and that Jazz on Dargan previously received several city grants and credits.
The council’s deferral keeps the current draft of design standards from a vote so staff can work with Mitchell and return with more targeted policy options and technical solutions.
The council’s action was procedural; no ordinance was adopted or rejected during the discussion.
